Bourne teacher arrested on OUI, child endangerment charges

Geoff Spillane

Tuesday

Nov 26, 2019 at 5:42 PMNov 26, 2019 at 5:42 PM

BARNSTABLE — A Bourne teacher and former coach of the Bourne High School volleyball team faces several criminal charges, including driving under the influence of alcohol, after a traffic stop on Route 6 in Barnstable on Saturday night.

Andrew Mather, 55, of Pocasset, pleaded not guilty Monday in Barnstable District Court to that charge and charges of negligent operation of a motor vehicle, child endangerment while operating under the influence and speeding.

A state police trooper stopped Mather shortly after 11:30 p.m. after he was seen traveling 85 mph in a posted 55 mph zone on Route 6 eastbound, according to a police report. Mather pulled into the breakdown lane and continued to travel a half-mile before pulling into a rest area after the trooper activated his cruiser's blue emergency lights, the report says.

The trooper detected an odor of alcohol and observed Mather’s eyes to be bloodshot and glassy, according to the report. Mather told the trooper he had had two beers and was traveling from a volleyball tournament in Natick, the report states.

Two passengers were in the vehicle, including a 14-year-old, according to the report.

Mather consented to a portable breath test, recording a 0.11% blood alcohol content level, the report states. The legal limit for blood alcohol level while driving is 0.08% in Massachusetts.

During booking at the state police barracks in Yarmouth, Mather took another breath test that produced a result of 0.08%, according to the report.

Perry Davis, interim superintendent of Bourne Public Schools, confirmed Tuesday that Mather is employed as a teacher in the system. He said he could not comment further on a personnel matter.

The school district website lists Mather as a teacher at Bourne Middle School.

Mather is due back in court Dec. 23 for a pretrial hearing.

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